


How rare and beautiful

by InvisiblePinkToast



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, allura deserves everything, lance is attempting wingman, romelle's a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 14:42:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19855333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisiblePinkToast/pseuds/InvisiblePinkToast
Summary: ‘What are you even making?’ Lance asked.‘These are cepumi, they’re Allura’s favourite.’ Romelle said quietly, and Allura paused by the door. Romelle’s voice was fond, maybe even a little shy. Allura felt that fluttering feeling again, the one that was becoming harder and harder to ignore.---Allura overhears a conversation between Romelle and Lance.





	How rare and beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> A request from tumblr for a fic ask: 'Romellura, 20 - things you said that I wasn’t meant to hear'. 
> 
> Title from 'Saturn' by 'Sleeping at Last'. Also this is set sometime after Lance and Allura worked everything out and now they're bffs.

It had been a long, long day. 

Allura trudged through the flight deck, head down and body aching. It was supposed to be a simple mission, just in and out to get some much needed intel. The old Galra base wasn’t even supposed to be occupied, so she and Shiro had gone in alone. But instead of being deserted, the base was teeming with drones. They had been lucky to get out alive, fighting furiously to escape and gaining no intel in the process. It had been an exhausting day and they had nothing to show for it. 

Allura attempted to stretch out her sore muscles but instead of relief she only groaned with the effort. Shiro gave a weak chuckle behind her and she turned a baleful eye upon him. 

He held up his hands in defence. ‘Sorry, sympathy laughter.’ He winced as he lowered his arms, rolling his shoulder that had taken a hit earlier. 

‘Are you alright? Do you want to go in a healing pod?’ She asked, reaching out, but he shrugged her off. 

‘I’m alright. I am looking forward to a hot bath though. Might actually relax for the first time today.’ 

Allura huffed. ‘Lucky. I’ve got to go yell at Kolivan about getting us accurate information, and then tell the coalition that we don’t have the intel we need.’ She sighed, running a hand across her tired face. 

The hanger doors whoosed open, the hallway separating in two directions – one to the comfort of the bedrooms, the other to the command centre. 

‘Do you want me to come with you?’ Shiro asked, hesitating. 

Allura gave him a tired grin. ‘Thank you, but there’s no reason to put you through it as well. Go, relax.’ She ushered him off with a wave and he smiled gratefully at her before turning away. 

As soon as he was out of sight her shoulders slumped. Not that she blamed Shiro, there really was no reason for him to be there. She just wished she was in a position where she could relax, rather than have another weight upon her shoulders. 

She began her trek to the command centre, keeping a lookout as she went but coming up empty handed. Romelle had taken to greeting her whenever she returned from a mission. Having a friendly face ready to welcome her back would have lovely no matter who it was, but the fact that it was Romelle caused a fluttery feeling in her chest whenver she saw her. The other girl was sweet and thoughtful, easily chatting away to distract her from her thoughts after a particularly rough mission, or ready to wrap Allura in a victory hug after a success. The newly built castle didn’t feel like home yet, but the knowledge that Romelle would be waiting for her when she got back always made her return something to look forward to. Allura hadn’t realised how much that had meant to her, until Romelle wasn’t there. 

The princess shook off the creeping feelings of disappointment. It was sweet that Romelle thought about her, but she didn’t have to be there every time. And just because she thought about her, didn’t mean that she necessarily thought about Allura in- that way. The way that she found herself thinking of Romelle, more and more. Romelle’s charming smile and gentle nature put Allura at ease in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time, but she was doing her best to push down any feelings she might be developing, whether she wanted to or not. 

After Lotor, Allura had sworn off any kind of romantic endeavours. ‘Frivolity’ her mother had called it. ‘Unnecessary’ was her father’s term. Both of them had wanted her to focus on her duties, and that’s what she was doing. The mission was where her focus should be – needed to be. If she focused on the mission, she could make sure no one got hurt. And if she pushed everyone away, no one could hurt her again either. 

She sighed, feeling even more miserable than before. She plodded down the hallway, but was startled out of her dark thoughts by a huge crash in an adjoining hallway. She started forwards to investigate, but relaxed when she saw light from the kitchen. She heard someone cry out as several more pans clattered down, and someone else laughing. 

Curious, she walked towards the commotion, only to freeze when a familiar voice rang out from inside the room. 

‘You know, you could stop laughing and help me.’ Romelle grumbled. 

‘And what fun would that be?’ Lance retorted. There was no reply from Romelle, but she must have been making some kind of face because Allura could hear Lance hop down from the counter with a placating ‘Alright, alright.’ 

Allura couldn’t help but smile. She could hear the two picking up the scattered pans, and went to join them. She figured she could spare a few minutes before her calls, and a chat with her best friend and the girl-she-totally-didn’t-like might be exactly what she needed to cheer her up. 

‘What are you even making?’ Lance asked. 

‘These are cepumi, they’re Allura’s favourite.’ Romelle said quietly, and Allura paused by the door. Romelle’s voice was fond, maybe even a little shy. Allura felt that fluttering feeling again, the one that was becoming harder and harder to ignore. Romelle was baking something for her? Allura didn’t even remember mentioning those biscuits were her favourite, she couldn’t believe the other girl had remembered something like that. And apparently neither could Lance. 

‘Ohhhhhhhh.’ He said, voice teasing. Allura couldn’t see his expression but could only imagine the smirk on his face. 

Romelle huffed. ‘Don’t give me that look. Coran said she’s going to be back soon and I wanted to have these ready for when she returns. And Shiro, for him too.’ 

Lance hummed knowingly. ‘Of course. But it’s not Shiro you’re trying to charm…’ 

Allura blinked, wondering if she should leave. But then Romelle cried out, ‘You’re ridiculous! I’m not trying to charm- I just want to do something nice for her.’ 

Allura rolled her eyes at herself and tried to ignore the feeling of disappointment coiling inside her. Ridiculous was the right word for it. Of course Lance was just teasing. Of course Romelle wouldn’t think of her like that. The other Altean girl was a good friend and it was better this way. And sulking in the shadows wasn’t going to change anything anyway. Allura took a breath and stepped into the light of the doorway. Romelle and Lance were facing away from her, standing at the counter surrounded by pans and ingredients. However, before Allura could announce her presence Lance said something that sent her heart into overdrive and stopped her in her tracks. 

‘You really like her, huh?’ His voice was gentle, concerned, no trace of any of the teasing from before. Romelle sighed, looking anywhere but at Lance as she fiddled with the hem of her apron. Allura knew she should go, didn’t want to hear the answer no matter what it was, but she was completely frozen. After a few moments, Romelle’s shoulders set and she looked at Lance with a little smile playing at her lips. 

‘Of course I do.’ She whispered. 

Allura’s breath hitched and she ducked around the corner out of sight. She leaned back against the wall, heart pounding. Any and all aches and pains from the mission vanished – Allura felt nothing but a giddy, bubbly, floating on air kind of feeling from her head to her toes. She liked her. Romelle liked her. She was sweet and kind and funny and smart and awkward and stubborn and charming and _she liked her_. 

A massive grin broke out across her face and she bit her lip, trying to tamper it down as Allura finally admitted something to herself. Maybe it was frivolous. Maybe it was unnecessary. She just didn’t care. Because she was absolutely, ridiculously head-over-heels for Romelle. 

She was taken out of her reverie as she heard Lance give a whoop and Romelle cry out. When Allura peeked around the corner she could see that Lance had wrapped Romelle in a hug that the blonde was slowly relaxing into. 

Allura felt a twinge of guilt in her chest as she looked away. Okay, so maybe she shouldn’t have heard that. But she decided then and there she was going to make it up to Romelle. Any doubts and fears that had been swirling around her head were gone, replaced by excitement and longing. She’d finish off any work she had to do today and take Romelle out tomorrow. There was a pretty planet nearby that she’d been wanting to take Romelle too, but the fields of blue flowers and gorgeous sunsets had seemed less-than-platonic for a friendly outing. But it would be a perfect place to confess. 

Allura grinned as she pushed herself off the wall and started down the hallway, determined to get everything out of the way so she could focus entirely on planning the perfect romantic trip, to thank Romelle for all the things she’d been doing, something to show Romelle how much she cared. 

As Allura walked away, she could hear Lance clap his hands in the kitchen. ‘Alright, let’s get these done to woo you’re true love, okay?’ 

She’s not sure exactly what happened after, but Romelle groaned and Lance yelped so Allura assumed she elbowed him. 

‘After the cepumi, maybe we could make Keith’s favourite food, hmmm?’ Romelle teased. 

Lances cry of ‘What!?’ was the last thing Allura heard as she turned the corner on her way to the command centre, and she muffled her laughter as she went. 

She still had a long day ahead of her, but there was a spring in her step and a spark in her eyes that hadn’t been there for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> 'Cepumi' is Latvian for biscuits/cookies lmao
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments/kudos' always appreciated <3


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